Violence Prevention Framework for Scotland: Monitoring Framework, 2025

Key points

Background

• The Violence Prevention Framework for Scotland (VPF), published in 2023, sets out a long-term vision to prevent violence across Scotland, and when it does occur, to reduce its harms. The framework identifies a variety of activities within an initial three-year Action Plan to address some specific areas of violence prevention, focused on (but not limited to) addressing non-sexual interpersonal violence.
• The VPF committed to the development of a Measurement Framework identifying a set of high-level indicators to monitor progress towards the VPF long-term vision.
• In recognition of the multiple and inter-connected factors that contribute to and influence violence prevention, and the wider violence prevention ecosystem which the VPF actions are one part of, the Measurement Framework has been re-named a Monitoring Framework (MF).

About the Monitoring Framework and how it can be used

• The MF identifies 14 high level indicator themes, organised into two overarching outcome categories – 1) reducing the prevalence and incidence of violence, and 2) reducing violence-related harms – which seek to unpack and monitor progress, at a national level, towards the VPF long-term vision.
• Each indicator theme sets out the intended direction of travel over the longer term, and is monitored using one or more (proxy) quantitative measures. Where available, and relevant to understanding the measure trend, or helping identify characteristics of those at greatest risk of violence, supplementary evidence (quantitative and/or qualitative) is provided alongside the headline proxy measure(s).
• The MF baseline year is 2008-09, where data is available as part of a comparable time series.
• The MF can help assess the extent and nature of violence in Scotland – focused on, but not limited to non-sexual interpersonal violence – and how this has changed over time. By collecting evidence of change over time, the MF can help assess where a renewed focus, a change in approach, or new activity might be beneficial.
• The MF does not provide an exhaustive picture nor audit of all measures of the extent and characteristics of violence and violence-related harms in Scotland. It provides an indication – at a high level – of a range of areas where we hope and expect to see change over the longer term as a result of activity across the whole violence prevention eco-system in Scotland.
• The drivers of violence are complex and the MF alone is unable to determine precisely the factors driving trends over time or to assess the impact of specific policies or interventions.
• The MF complements, but does not negate the value and need for local, place-based, and intervention-specific research, surveillance and evaluation activity, which is particularly beneficial in terms of gathering learning to inform scaling up and future delivery.
• The MF overview sets out the 14 indicator themes, the measures attached to each of them, and summarises the current status.

Monitoring Framework key findings overview

• Most adults[1] (97% in 2023-24) in Scotland do not experience violent crime[2] and there has been a long-term fall in violent crime victimisation since 2008-09.
• Comparable official measures[3] of non-sexual interpersonal violence in Scotland have shown decreases over the longer term. While there has been a gradual increase in crimes of Non-sexual violence recorded by the police since 2014-15, the number of these crimes in 2024-25 is 18% lower than in 2008-09. Conversely Sexual crimes recorded by the police have increased over the longer term and are at the second highest level since comparable records began.
• The majority (61% in 2023-24) of violent crime in Scotland is experienced by repeat victims. The proportion of adults experiencing violent crime more than once during a year has decreased since 2008-09 but has not changed significantly in recent years.
• In 2024-25, around two thirds of distinct accused persons of crimes of Non-sexual violence and crimes of Handling an offensive weapon (used in other criminal activity) were aged 25 and older. The number of distinct accused per 10,000 population for these crimes was highest for those aged 12 to 15 and lowest for those aged 60 and over. In 2024-25, it was also the case that two thirds of distinct accused persons of Sexual crimes were aged 25 and older.  The number of distinct accused per 10,000 population for these crimes was highest for those aged 12 to 15 (closely followed by those aged 16 to 24) and lowest for those aged 60 and over.
• All measures of serious physical harm from violence – Serious assault and attempted murder recorded by the police, the number of homicide victims, and emergency hospital admissions for assault/assault with a sharp object – are on a long-term downward trend, with the number of homicide victims (45 in 2024-25) the lowest since comparable records began in 1976.
• Official measures of violent crime victimisation in Scotland do not include the experiences of those under 16 years of age. However, measures of serious physical harm from violence – the number of homicide victims, and emergency hospital admissions for assault/assault with a sharp object – show reductions for younger people over the longer term. In 2024-25 fewer young people (23) under the age of 18 were admitted to hospital due to assault with a sharp object than in any year since 2008-09 (when it was 133).
• The majority of adults feel safe walking alone in their local area after dark and concern about being physically assaulted or attacked in the street is at the lowest level since 2008-09. Despite this, females generally feel less safe walking alone in their local area after dark and worry more about being physically assaulted or attacked in the street than males. This difference has been consistent since 2008-09.